Maximise your investment, Navigate through a Multi-Cloud Strategy
Over the last decade, cloud computing has become a game-changer, providing organisations
greater power and scalability than ever previously thought possible. Cloud is treated as an
operating model, rather than just a destination. Cloud is an IT model where orchestration,
automation and intelligence, are deeply rooted as part of the IT infrastructure. Thus, more
clouds mean more compute, and more compute means more capacity. Research in this field
suggests the majority of IT practitioners execute IT operations across multiple clouds in
multiple localities, rather than a single location. But cloud comes with a lot of complexity as
we enter an era of multi-cloud and hybrid-cloud that is required for organisations to
maximise their cloud investment – and fully exploit all that rich data that can be
transformative for any business or industry.
Public cloud adoption isn’t slowing down and private cloud investments are accelerating.
This is driven by the massive shift by companies to become “digital businesses,” creating
expanding demand for IT capacity and new capabilities. Cloud is not a zero-sum equation, it
is an operating model that is driving a simplification and automation tide that is lifting all
boats. As organisations continue to digitally transform with modern data centre
infrastructure that is software-defined and cloud-ready, they’re able to adopt a powerful
private and on-premises cloud strategy alongside their usage of public cloud services.
The reality is that the public cloud will continue to grow, and there is no “versus” here from
a macro view – both private and public clouds as part of a hybrid-cloud strategy are
necessary for an organization to effectively manage a variety of data workloads. The
“versus” discussion comes down to which model is best for which workload – and how you
can ensure public and private work together to drive both innovative outcomes and
operating efficiencies so organizations can move workloads back and forth as needed
without impact. Further, data privacy and security mandates vary globally – requiring
organisations to ensure that all data is stored, protected and managed within those
boundaries, which is of course a challenge when data lives virtually everywhere these days.
Finally, innovation is happening in all cloud models and different ways creating unique
advantages specific to each cloud model. The best cloud for a critical workload may even
shift as innovations change the capabilities of each cloud.
Delivers developer-ready Infrastructure:
Cloud platforms that allow organisations to run a hybrid, multi-cloud strategy efficiently
and effectively across both public and private cloud workloads, supporting Infrastructure as
a Service (IaaS) and cloud-native application development. A cloud-enabled infrastructure,
inclusive of cloud data services, data protection, cloud data management and mobility –
ensuring you can manage, store and protect data on and off-prem, notably as you move
workloads back and forth. It must remain intact and accessible, but without taxing
resources.
A cloud consumption model that fits the needs of your business – some days your
organisation will need less, other days it will require more as you scale and grow. Leveraging
a consumption model that maps to your cloud needs ensures you’ll have exactly what you
need to drive a successful cloud strategy within the scope of your IT budget – and ideally
generating additional revenues through new business insights, apps and services brought to
market.
Cloud consulting and services – no two cloud strategies are the same – nor should they be.
Engaging consulting and services ensures you’re able to fully customize a multi-cloud
approach not simply for your needs today, but the road ahead. Transformation isn’t a light
switch, and as the technology landscape evolves, organizations need to ensure they’re
future-proofing their investment. What public and private cloud offerings are best for your
business, and how you can ensure they’re integrated appropriately? Further, do you have
the right IT resources to effectively manage your new multi-cloud capabilities? Consulting
and services can be a critical piece of ensuring your cloud strategy isn’t just fluff but stays
firm and grounded.
Infrastructure is evolving rapidly towards a software-defined state to ensure organisations
can harness the power of a distributed edge to core hybrid and multi-cloud architecture –
because with all the data coming our way – organisations are going to need new IT
capabilities.